This is a band that I've recently discovered. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the band CKY. Well, this is Jess Margera's pre-CKY band, and if you come into this expecting alternative rock, you're gonna be thrown a HUGE curveball.

What we have here is a nice piece of progressive/technical death metal with some elements of math rock thrown in the mix. Imagine Anata or Quo Vadis mixed with Breadwinner or Don Caballero, and you have an idea of what this sounds like. Deron Miller's shows how much of a versatile musician he is. His vocals resemble the ones he uses in his current melodic death metal group World Under Blood, utilizing a raspy scream, although his vocals here seem to linger more in the back. His guitar playing here is obviously much more technical than that of CKY, and even moreso than in World Under Blood. There's traditional death metal riffing, more melodic death style riffs, and more techy, proggy riffs, with some technical soloing to tie this package together. The guitarwork is anything but mindless wank, however, as all off the riffs and leads are very catchy and memorable. Jess Margera's drumming here is more creative than it was with CKY. He throws in some nice jazzy fills and time changes, but also knows when to be a backbone for all of the tasty riffs on display.

If you are a fan of Jess Margera or Deron Miller's projects, or any type of progressive or technical metal, do yourself a favor and check out this underrated gem!

Just by looking at this album art, you can already tell you are about to deal with something out of the ordinary.

Gonin-Ish are one of Japan's more obscure gems, even in the metal world. What we have here is a unique slab of engaging progressive death metal with a slight avant-garde slant that draws from a myriad of influences, ranging from Dream Theater, Opeth, Atheist, Cynic, Arch Enemy, and even traditional Japanese music! Anoji's vocals take some getting used to at first, as she can get quite off kilter, but eventually you'll see that they fit quite nicely. Her growls almost resemble a Japanese Angela Gossow, and her clean vocals manage to be haunting and beautiful at the same time. Guitarwork is handled by both Anoji and Fu-Min Takahashi, with the latter handling most of the leadwork, and boy are they talented guitarists! They manage to lay down plenty of those technical, jazz-influenced metal riffs that wouldn't have been out of place on classics like "Focus", "Human", or "Unquestionable Presence", leading into some breathtaking, John Petrucci-inspired shredding guitar solos, which is all broken up by some good old Opeth style acoustic strumming. The difference here, however, is that they draw from the music of their own country, which really adds to this album's Japanese atmosphere. Masashi Momota's piano and keyboard playing is also of note, as he really gets to shine on some of the tracks, soloing just as much as the guitars do. He too knows when to hold back and be more atmospheric as well, and he contributes a lot to the Asian sound that this album has. The rhythm section, also deserves mention, in particular Jun's jazzy drumming, which creates the architecture for this insane piece of work, providing plenty of time changes and insane fills. Ariga doesn't get too many chances to shine, but his bass playing is solid.

If you are a fan of ANY type of progressive metal, then there's no excuse for you not to check this out!

I couldn't find "Akai Kioku" on youtube, but if you come across it, check it out as well.

AnataFan4Life

11-05-2012, 02:27 PM

Darkness Eternal - Misanthropic Annihilation

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/9/4/8/6/94866.jpg?0644

Like evil, blasphemous death metal with black metal influences? Darkness Eternal will be right up your alley.

Darkness Eternal is the one man project of ex-The Chasm member George Velaetis. Darkness Eternal are much different than The Chasm, however. While they still have the same idea of riff based death metal, Darkness Eternal forgo the strange, outlandish melodies and web like song structures. Instead, Darkness Eternal go straight for the jugular, providing an assault of relentless blackened riffing that's guaranteed to get you headbanging. Don't think that this is all brutality, however. There are some clean guitar sections and melodic leads thrown in the mix to break up the monotony a bit. This is all backed up by a percussive onslaught to keep the momentum going.

This album offers a nice slab of riffy, diabolic blackened death metal that delivers exactly what it intends to. Definitely give this album a shot.

Canada is usually known for producing death metal of the technical variety, not melodic death metal, which is why I was shocked to find that Soulscar hailed from Canada. This is basically a really catchy Gothenburg style melodic death metal album. There's nothing really unique to be found here, but there's so many goddamn catchy riffs, memorable hooks, and headbanging moments that you really can't help but keep listening. The songs are pretty stripped down and straightforward in their structure, relying on the melodic riffs and leadwork. There's also plenty of tasty, melodic solos to be found as well. Nothing overly technical, but they fit very well into the songs. The drums basically stick to playing simple beats and following the guitars. It may sound pedestrian, but this album is fucking CATCHY, and is very difficult to put down.

Whether you like this album or not will basically depend on how you feel about melodic death metal. If you like that or even melodic metalcore, you will probably enjoy this record. If you don't like melodic death metal, then this album probably won't convert you. Personally, I think it's a great album, and you should give it a shot.

Like evil, blasphemous death metal with black metal influences? Darkness Eternal will be right up your alley.

Darkness Eternal is the one man project of ex-The Chasm member George Velaetis. Darkness Eternal are much different than The Chasm, however. While they still have the same idea of riff based death metal, Darkness Eternal forgo the strange, outlandish melodies and web like song structures. Instead, Darkness Eternal go straight for the jugular, providing an assault of relentless blackened riffing that's guaranteed to get you headbanging. Don't think that this is all brutality, however. There are some clean guitar sections and melodic leads thrown in the mix to break up the monotony a bit. This is all backed up by a percussive onslaught to keep the momentum going.

This album offers a nice slab of riffy, diabolic blackened death metal that delivers exactly what it intends to. Definitely give this album a shot.

Well, I've never heard any of them... but I wouldn't expect to find them awesome either... ;)

AnataFan4Life

11-06-2012, 04:16 AM

Children - Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/3/8/4/238470.jpg

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the band Early Man. Well this is their drummer's other band.

Musically this is quite a bit different than Early Man. What we have here is a pretty strange sounding progressive/technical thrash metal album, and as you can probably already tell by the genre, this album has riffs by the TRUCKLOAD. Lots of memorable, headbanging riffs to be found here, with a technical flair for good measure. Each song is just one kickass riff after kickass riff, usually broken up by a nice, shredding guitar solo, accompanied by rough, raw sounding vocals and some skilled work behind the kit. Quite honestly, there's no band that I can really compare these guys to. Some of the dissonant parts might be slightly Voivod-esque, and the riffs might recall some of Coroner's material, but this is truly a different beast all its own.

If you want a kickass thrash record that has a more progressive/technical vibe to it, look no further than Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World.

Advanced Mind Control (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXz187F9Xcw)
Time Is The Living (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDaW-Zxkcf4&feature=relmfu)
Power of the Spirit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WYp3QgMBjs&feature=relmfu)

slapguitarer

11-06-2012, 09:18 AM

Children are a great band. Surprisingly my entry level metal friend introduced me to them.

AnataFan4Life

11-06-2012, 11:03 AM

Lethargy - It's Hard to Write With a Little Hand

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/3/8/11381.jpg

It's kinda surprising to me how underrated this band is, considering how most of the band members are now in much bigger bands. Erik Burke now plays guitar for Brutal Truth, as well as starting Sulaco, and i'm sure most of you are familiar with Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher of Today Is the Day and Mastodon fame.

This album is quite a different beast from any of their present bands. This album is actually a unique fusion of early progressive/technical death metal in the vein of bands like Atheist and Death, and an early form of mathcore (a genre that was just being born at this time). The vocal style is a hardcore style bark, almost resembling Troy Sanders (funny since Mastodon was pretty much born from this band). The guitars fluctuate between proggy noodling, crunchy death metal riffs, and dissonant mathy chords, creating a frantic, chaotic, noisy assault on your ears, and yet it's all presented in a structured, memorable format. The lack of any sort of lead guitar is a bit disappointing, but it doesn't detract from the sound at all. For those of you who think Brann Dailor's legendary drumming began at Mastodon, you're about to be in for a pleasant surprise. Brann's technical, fill-heavy style of drumming is showcased just as frequently here as it is with Mastodon. With the style that is being displayed here however, Brann is able to flesh out a bit more.

If you love Mastodon or any form of progressive/tech metal, you should definitely give this a listen.

Here's an album for all you atmospheric black/folk metal lovers out there. This album is a true display of dark, twisted, disturbing dissonance. One thing that I think is really cool about this album is that it gets even more creepy and fucked up as the album goes on. It begins with calm, soothing acoustic guitars, and begins morphing into a FAR more sinister beast. Everything just seems to creep up on you and throws you into a spiraling, nightmarish abyss. In between all of these frightening surges of dissonance, however, are some more gloomy, moody sections that almost feel like a calm between the storm. These calm sections seem to recall Agalloch, but Dormant present their style in a much more chaotic and dissonant fashion, almost like Gorguts did with Obscura, only Dormant do it through atmospheric black/folk metal rather than technical death metal. All of this ties together to create an insane, off-kilter work that stands out in their style of metal.

This album is definitely something that you will have to experience for yourself. Recommended for those of you who enjoy dark, disturbing, atmospheric black or folk metal.

Brutal Death Metal doesn't get much more intense than this. Hailing from Columbia, Amputated Genitals offer nothing more than skull crushing brutal death metal in the vein of bands like Disgorge, Cerebral Bore, and Gorgasm. This band may not be the most original, but they make up for it with the sheer intensity and songwriting. There are plenty of meaty, crunchy riffs scattered about this album, with a pinch of technicality for good measure. There's also a few slams scattered throughout the record, but they aren't as frequent as say, Devourment. The vocals are extremely brutal, consisting of grunts and inhales. This is all backed up by some of the most insane percussive battery you'll ever hear.

If you want your thirst for brutal death metal quenched, Amputated Genitals will be right up your alley.

Brutal Death Metal doesn't get much more intense than this. Hailing from Columbia, Amputated Genitals offer nothing more than skull crushing brutal death metal in the vein of bands like Disgorge, Cerebral Bore, and Gorgasm. This band may not be the most original, but they make up for it with the sheer intensity and songwriting. There are plenty of meaty, crunchy riffs scattered about this album, with a pinch of technicality for good measure. There's also a few slams scattered throughout the record, but they aren't as frequent as say, Devourment. The vocals are extremely brutal, consisting of grunts and inhales. This is all backed up by some of the most insane percussive battery you'll ever hear.

If you want your thirst for brutal death metal quenched, Amputated Genitals will be right up your alley.

Here's another great album in the progressive/technical thrash realm. It's almost like a German version of Sadus, or maybe what Kreator would sound like if they pursued a more technical sound. The songs tend to revolve around winding, jarring time signature, built on top of tons and tons of those things we all love: riffs. The songs are built around complex webs of riffing, and yet it never feels like they just threw the riffs together just to have a lot of riffs. Most of them are actually very catchy and headbang worthy, and are coupled with plenty of shredding, wailing solos. Another thing to note is the incredible skill of their bass player, which explains the Sadus comparison. This guy's playing is very audible throughout the whole record, boobing and weaving in between the riff assault and giving this album sort of a bouncy feel.

If you're into tech-thrash in the vein of Vektor or Sadus, you will find much to enjoy in this album.

Where the Night (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvArjYkRqlo&feature=related)
Intro/It Came (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqKCWSy_-Ck&feature=related)
Give Me (Play for A Ballet) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4v1Dl8moAw&feature=relmfu)

AnataFan4Life

11-08-2012, 06:39 AM

Dissonance In Design - Neurotransmitting an Epiphany

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/4/0/9/340943.jpg?5953

Dissonance In Design are a progressive/technical/melodic deathcore band from Colorado, and I can already see you guys blowing them off because of the deathcore tag. Let me assure you, these guys aren't like your typical deathcore band, because they actually keep the -core to a minimum :eek:. The breakdowns are actually short and sparse for a deathcore band. I almost would rather just call them technical death metal with a bit of -core influence. This album is chock full of catchy, melodic riffs and solos that are very technical, but they all seem to flow together and have a distinct groove (kind of like what Gorod does). There's even some 80's heavy metal parts that almost remind me of Arghoslent of all bands! The drumming is also very skillful, and does a great job of making all of the riffs stick together, but he also gets plenty of chances to shine as well. The vocals are competant growls and screams, nothing too out of the ordinary, but solid nonetheless. As I stated before, the songs seem to wind and flow, something you don't see a lot in deathcore bands who try to make their songs as tight and constricted as possible.

In a genre that is often hated for being generic and breakdown heavy, Dissonance in Design stand out above the heap with an original, creative twist on the genre.

Here's one for you funeral doom lovers out there. Wormphlegm play, slow, dark, agonizing funeral death/doom with a black metal style production. Each lead rings like a cavernous scream. Each riff pulverizes you with its crushing tone. Every growl and scream sounds as if the singer was actually being tortured while they recorded this. Everything drones and lingers, making sure it hits you, and hits you hard. This album is truly the essence of pain, and by pain, i'm not talking about mental anguish that is expressed in a more sorrowful manner like with, say, Esoteric. By pain, I mean being kidnapped by a psychopath, locked in a dark basement, and beaten with a hammer while having your eyeballs slowly ripped out of their sockets kind of pain. This album was pulled out of the darkest, deepest abyss you could possibly think of, and the beast that was lurking within this album is unleashed as soon as you press play.

If you like bands such as Esoteric, Loss, Evoken, and Thergothon, you will enjoy this, but I don't even know if those bands will prepare you for what awaits you with this album.

Tomb of the Ancient King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl1jxJue3kw)
Return of the Ice Age and the Tortyrant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swB2NNO1bRM)
Epejumalat Monet Tesse Muinen Palveltin Caucan ja Lesse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQUgcs2qOYM&feature=related)

AnataFan4Life

11-09-2012, 08:28 AM

NoMeansNo - Wrong

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/NoMeansNo_-_Wrong.jpg

Now here's a true oxymoron: progressive punk! Like most people, I didn't hear about this band until Dave Grohl of Nirvana/Foo Fighters fame brought them up. Anyways, these guys manage to take complex, jazz-influenced musicianship, and blend it into raw, old-school punk rock. There's plenty of weird time signatures and jazzy chords interspersed with raw blasts of pure punk. Some of the songs are actually pretty long for punk rock (one song actually reaches the six minute mark!) As for the vocals, imagine what Mike Patton would sound like if he were in a punk band. Sounding awesome yet? One instrument that is really prevalent is the bass guitar. This guy has some serious skill on the bass, and gives the songs a nice, bouncy feel. Did I mention the songs on here are REALLY fucking catchy?

These guys have taken progressive rock and punk rock, two styles that normally wouldn't fit together at all, and mixed them seamlessly. If you are a fan of either of those two styles, or just good music in general, give this album a spin!

It's Catching Up (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPyAii6f-hc)
The End of All Things (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV3ZRbI_sng&feature=related)
All Lies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgyr-kJ4SfU&feature=related)

slapguitarer

11-09-2012, 09:00 AM

I recently discovered NoMeansNo. They're awesome!

GarageMetal468

11-09-2012, 10:16 AM

Aspid - Extravasation

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/4/0/8/140845.jpg

Definitely heard this one ;)

Wormphlegm - Tomb of the Ancient King

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/3/8/113888.jpg

Here's one for you funeral doom lovers out there. Wormphlegm play, slow, dark, agonizing funeral death/doom with a black metal style production. Each lead rings like a cavernous scream. Each riff pulverizes you with its crushing tone. Every growl and scream sounds as if the singer was actually being tortured while they recorded this. Everything drones and lingers, making sure it hits you, and hits you hard. This album is truly the essence of pain, and by pain, i'm not talking about mental anguish that is expressed in a more sorrowful manner like with, say, Esoteric. By pain, I mean being kidnapped by a psychopath, locked in a dark basement, and beaten with a hammer while having your eyeballs slowly ripped out of their sockets kind of pain. This album was pulled out of the darkest, deepest abyss you could possibly think of, and the beast that was lurking within this album is unleashed as soon as you press play.

If you like bands such as Esoteric, Loss, Evoken, and Thergothon, you will enjoy this, but I don't even know if those bands will prepare you for what awaits you with this album.

Tomb of the Ancient King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl1jxJue3kw)
Return of the Ice Age and the Tortyrant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swB2NNO1bRM)
Epejumalat Monet Tesse Muinen Palveltin Caucan ja Lesse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQUgcs2qOYM&feature=related)

Now this I've heard of but like a lot of funeral doom, I've been meaning to check out for the longest time. Thanks for the reminder!

PowerMaiden

11-09-2012, 10:16 AM

Amputated Genitals - Human Meat Gluttony

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/7/9/9/0/79900.jpg

Brutal Death Metal doesn't get much more intense than this. Hailing from Columbia, Amputated Genitals offer nothing more than skull crushing brutal death metal in the vein of bands like Disgorge, Cerebral Bore, and Gorgasm. This band may not be the most original, but they make up for it with the sheer intensity and songwriting. There are plenty of meaty, crunchy riffs scattered about this album, with a pinch of technicality for good measure. There's also a few slams scattered throughout the record, but they aren't as frequent as say, Devourment. The vocals are extremely brutal, consisting of grunts and inhales. This is all backed up by some of the most insane percussive battery you'll ever hear.

If you want your thirst for brutal death metal quenched, Amputated Genitals will be right up your alley.

Dismember lives again! Seriously, this is an awesome album full of Finnish and Swedish style death metal. Everything you love about this style of death metal is here: the buzzing, chainsaw-like guitar riffs, the crushing doom sections, the dark melodies and solos, it's all here. I realize that the OSDM revival is nothing new nowadays, but I think these guys are one of the best at this style, taking what made bands like Dismember, Grave, Demigod, and Sentenced so great in their prime, and making a morbid, diabolic cocktail of death metal goodness that the whole family can enjoy:horns:. This album does an excellent job of painting a picture of death and pestilence, through the thick, groovy, meaty riffs, echoing, melodic leads and solos, sparse but appropriately place blastbeats, and is all commanded by sickening growls.

All OSDM aficionados have a lot to look forward to on this album. Give this one a shot if you want to hear pure, unadulterated death metal. :rocker:

I don't really know how to describe this album. What the fuck is Sleastak anyway, who knows. It's an early 1990's Earache release, which was a good period for that label. But instead of death metal or grindcore this is more industrial grindcore, very heavy on the industrial. Almost beyond industrial, robotic. With long drawn out passages that just drive you insane. The vocals were really good, which was unfortunate because as I said it's mostly instrumental. There were some really wicked keyboards too, especially in Creyap'nilla (which I can't find a youTube link for, but trust me). The quality of the recording is rather poor but that's typical of the era. And the artwork perfectly describes the music. It features James Plotkin and Alain Dubin who went on to form Khante (sp?).

Two of Me (Parts 1 & 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iW0HsI41bA)
Backwards through the Greedo Compressor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp9vTdsDoTE)
There are better songs but these are the only two I could find on youTube.

I don't really know how to describe this album. What the fuck is Sleastak anyway, who knows. It's an early 1990's Earache release, which was a good period for that label. But instead of death metal or grindcore this is more industrial grindcore, very heavy on the industrial. Almost beyond industrial, robotic. With long drawn out passages that just drive you insane. The vocals were really good, which was unfortunate because as I said it's mostly instrumental. There were some really wicked keyboards too, especially in Creyap'nilla (which I can't find a youTube link for, but trust me). The quality of the recording is rather poor but that's typical of the era. It features James Plotkin and Alain Dubin who went on to form Khante (sp?)

While you are waiting ever so patiently for that new Necrophagist album to come out, here's something to hold you over (for a little while at least). Nowadays, when people look at Unique Leader Records, they seem to think of technical deathcore bands like Fallujah or Rings of Saturn. Dominion, however, play technical death metal in the Necrophagist vein, complete with the neoclassical guitar soloing and hyperspeed tempos, though one difference between Necrophagist and Dominion is that Dominion put a little more focus on brutality, and Dominion's solos are a bit more condensed, as opposed to the more grandiose solos that Necrophagist have. Fear not, for there's still PLENTY of shredding, fingerlicking soloing to be found here. There's also boatloads of catchy, technical, headbanging worthy riffs to be found (check out "The Endless" to see what I mean.)

This album pretty much captures the best parts of tech-death and rolls them into a neat little package. Highly recommended for fans of Necrophagist, Spawn of Possession, Hour of Penance, and label mates Deeds of Flesh.

I finally heard their first album after looking for it for 10+ years and I was really disappointed. I think I was expecting something a little less juvenile, which is stupid when you read up on the album. But the pitch-shifted vocals really killed it for me.

Obscura aren't the only band who released an awesome album named Cosmogenesis. I came across these guys while looking for bands that sounded similar to Animals as Leaders, and I ended up discovering these guys. As I mentioned, Poland's Gru play instrumental progressive metal/djent in the vein of Animals as Leaders, Chimp Spanner, and Misha Mansoor's Bulb. It's quite atmospheric in areas, giving off a sort of spacey vibe. Of course, the album is also chock full of those djenty riffs that you love (or hate) and plenty of emotive, jazzy guitar solos that could have come straight from Misha Mansoor, Paul Oritz, Chris Letchford (not djent, but the solos resemble some of the ones from Scale the Summit), or Tosin Abasi (check out the solo in "Nebula", for example).

This will appeal to any of you who are into the whole "djent" movement going on now, or are fans of progressive/technical music in general.

Kittens was a band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The closest artist I can compare them to is Today is the Day except their music was more simplistic. Just guitar, bass and drums and a guy SCREAMING into the microphone. Not the kind of music you think of when you think of Winnipeg. They are probably still one of the scariest bands I've heard from my life because they were just three seemingly normal guys. Their videos were awesome too and you can find most of them on YouTube. They broke up in the late 1990's.

Okay, so maybe this isn't exactly something most of you have never heard of, so much as it's something most have forgotten about.

The mid/late 90's post grunge wave spawned countless bands, one of them being Jimmie's Chicken Shack. The post grunge sound spawned a lot of generic, bland, radio friendly bands who all sounded the same. Fortunately, on Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope, Jimmie's Chicken Shack are able to avoid these musical pitfalls for a number of reasons. The first reason is that the musicians in this band are actually very talented. Most of them have background in funk music, and it is used to full effect. The notorious repetitive power chords that are normally abused by bands in this genre do appear here, but fortunately, these guys use them appropriately and don't completely rely on them, and instead mix it up a bit with some funky rhythms and finger licking guitar solos. The bass guitar is of special note, being very audible and contributes a lot to the funky nature of the album, contributing very creative basslines. Another reason that these guys stand out is because unlike most post grunge bands, THEY ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO WRITE SONGS. All of the songs stand out in their own way, whether it be the hard rock of "Dropping Anchor", the Rage Against the Machine-esque "Spiderweb", or the funky, bouncy "High", every song has something to offer.

It's a shame they couldn't keep a hold of their unique blend of hard rock and funk displayed here, and instead succumbed to the commercialization of their peers on later releases. This is definitely a great album for those of you seeking a fun, enjoyable hard rock record.

This has to be, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the strangest, most outlandish pieces of music I have ever listened to. This album is one of those "one big song" albums (all of Devil Doll's music is), and it all comes from the deranged mind of a man simply known as Mr. Doctor. Categorizing this album into a specific genre is a chore in of itself. This album seamlessly shifts and morphs through so many different styles, ranging from classical, symphonic, progressive rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, avant-garde, and more. Yet it never sounds forced, instead contributing to the album's dark, unsettling, murky atmosphere. Of special note is Mr. Doctor's vocals. If you think Mike Patton had strange vocals, this guy is going to throw you in for a loop. I can't really describe how he sings, you just have to hear it for yourself. This entire album sounds like the soundtrack to a huge mind fuck, as synths, strings, and keyboards flutter in between heavy metal riffs.

This album isn't for everyone, and may take multiple listens to really sink in, but if it does, you will be rewarded with a great piece of art that was truly ahead of it's time (this was released in 1989).

The Girl Who Was...Death (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8geiz4dGgA)

zgodt

11-25-2012, 09:15 PM

NoMeansNo is outstanding. Probably my favorite band.

AnataFan4Life

11-26-2012, 11:28 AM

Carcariass - Sideral Torment

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/0/1/7/10173.jpg

Symbolic with gutturals? That's a good way to describe this album (and this band, for that matter). They are one of the more overlooked bands in the French death metal scene, which is kinda surprising considering how good they are. Anyways, this album is a kickass piece of progressive/technical death metal. This album is bursting at the seams with guitar solos. Every song has at least one (usually two or three), but don't think this is all pointless showmanship. The songs have plenty of catchy, headbangable riffs and melodies. It never gets boring despite the high level of technicality displayed. As I mentioned earlier, there is a large amount of later-era Death influence present, especially in some of the riff choices and scales for the solos, though they mix it up with some neoclassical influences.

If you want a more old school take on tech-death that is free from any sort of modern trappings, give this album a spin!

I highly apologize for necroing this thread out of nowhere, but I've come across a few more albums that I think everyone should give a try.

Atma Weapon - Dark Tower

http://www.israbox.com/uploads/posts/2013-08/1375511080_front.jpg

Atma Weapon are a fairly new band, forming in 2011 and their debut coming out last year. That being said, they certainly don't play like a new band! This has to be one of the most kickass progressive metal albums i've heard in a while. As you can tell by their name, their music and lyrics are heavily inspired by Final Fantasy games, which is already a cool concept considering how much of a fan I am of Final Fantasy. While they list bands like Opeth, Dream Theater, Edge of Sanity, and Porcupine Tree among their influences, they really do have a sound all of their own. Vocalist/guitarist Mick Armstrong is a highlight, with his impressive vocal display. While the growls that he uses do well to accentuate the heavier sections of the songs, his clean vocals are what really stand out. He displays excellent range while being somewhat more accessible compared to most progressive metal vocalists. In fact, his singing almost reminds me of Gavin Hayes of Dredg. Another standout element is lead guitarist Cameron Johnson, who is a truly underrated guitar player. He possesses technical skill in spades, but never overindulges, and while his solos are quite plentiful, they all fit the songs like a glove and are very soulful and emotive. This isn't to say that the rhythm section is lacking, as the do an excellent job as well.

The first six songs all form the 32 minute song that is the title track, twisting and morphing through fast, almost thrashy passages, shifting into cleaner, prog rock-esque interludes. This is followed by the much more accessible "Dark Dreamer" and ends with "Miss Misery", an epic way to finish a great record.

I'm honestly astonished that these guys haven't blown up by now. If you are a fan of progressive metal, you owe it to yourself to check this album out!

I highly apologize for necroing this thread out of nowhere, but I've come across a few more albums that I think everyone should give a try.

Atma Weapon - Dark Tower

http://www.israbox.com/uploads/posts/2013-08/1375511080_front.jpg

Atma Weapon are a fairly new band, forming in 2011 and their debut coming out last year. That being said, they certainly don't play like a new band! This has to be one of the most kickass progressive metal albums i've heard in a while. As you can tell by their name, their music and lyrics are heavily inspired by Final Fantasy games, which is already a cool concept considering how much of a fan I am of Final Fantasy. While they list bands like Opeth, Dream Theater, Edge of Sanity, and Porcupine Tree among their influences, they really do have a sound all of their own. Vocalist/guitarist Mick Armstrong is a highlight, with his impressive vocal display. While the growls that he uses do well to accentuate the heavier sections of the songs, his clean vocals are what really stand out. He displays excellent range while being somewhat more accessible compared to most progressive metal vocalists. In fact, his singing almost reminds me of Gavin Hayes of Dredg. Another standout element is lead guitarist Cameron Johnson, who is a truly underrated guitar player. He possesses technical skill in spades, but never overindulges, and while his solos are quite plentiful, they all fit the songs like a glove and are very soulful and emotive. This isn't to say that the rhythm section is lacking, as the do an excellent job as well.

The first six songs all form the 32 minute song that is the title track, twisting and morphing through fast, almost thrashy passages, shifting into cleaner, prog rock-esque interludes. This is followed by the much more accessible "Dark Dreamer" and ends with "Miss Misery", an epic way to finish a great record.

I'm honestly astonished that these guys haven't blown up by now. If you are a fan of progressive metal, you owe it to yourself to check this album out!

I don't think i've touched up on any straight up black metal albums yet, so how about we change that with a black metal record that is anything but straightforward?

The words "black metal" and "technical" are words that, in theory, should never be anywhere near each other. Not only do these guys bring those two elements together, but they make it WORK. The black metal dissonance fits very well with the band's obvious jazz influences. Furious, blackened tremolo riffing shifts seamlessly into chunky thrash influenced passages, backed by techy, Gorguts style off-kilter melodies. The bass guitar definitely has an element of jazz to it, flowing and dancing around the mind bending guitarwork. The drumming is also a standout, as moments of crushing blastbeats alternate with ridiculous fills.

If you want something a little different with your black metal, give this a shot!

For those of you who are wondering, False Prophet are an underground death/thrash band who just recently reformed. These guys have been around since the late eighties, when the death metal genre was just taking shape, but never achieved the recognition of their peers.

One thing that's strange right off the bat are some of the song lengths: for the style they play and the time this was released, these songs are rather lengthy, with two of them going past the ten minute mark! As with most bands of their style, the songs contain plenty of ferocious, marching, heavy riffs that almost have an early Sepultura (Schizophrenia-Beneath the Remains) sound to them. There are also quite a few awesome solos, typical for this style, that are both melodic and chaotic at the same time, backed by a tight rhythm section and commanded with raspy, throaty growls.

If you enjoy old school death metal or thrash metal, this album is DEFINITELY for you! This album was actually rereleased in 2014 with some extra demo tracks, so pick that one up, since the original is probably out of print.

Forgotten Souls (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAkUAw9c-Ug)
Holy Deception (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUZIw7KVIkE)
First Born (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0L7exPvMm0) (included on the reissue, was released when the band was called Infernal Hierarchy)

Okay, so maybe this isn't exactly something most of you have never heard of, so much as it's something most have forgotten about.

The mid/late 90's post grunge wave spawned countless bands, one of them being Jimmie's Chicken Shack. The post grunge sound spawned a lot of generic, bland, radio friendly bands who all sounded the same. Fortunately, on Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope, Jimmie's Chicken Shack are able to avoid these musical pitfalls for a number of reasons. The first reason is that the musicians in this band are actually very talented. Most of them have background in funk music, and it is used to full effect. The notorious repetitive power chords that are normally abused by bands in this genre do appear here, but fortunately, these guys use them appropriately and don't completely rely on them, and instead mix it up a bit with some funky rhythms and finger licking guitar solos. The bass guitar is of special note, being very audible and contributes a lot to the funky nature of the album, contributing very creative basslines. Another reason that these guys stand out is because unlike most post grunge bands, THEY ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO WRITE SONGS. All of the songs stand out in their own way, whether it be the hard rock of "Dropping Anchor", the Rage Against the Machine-esque "Spiderweb", or the funky, bouncy "High", every song has something to offer.

It's a shame they couldn't keep a hold of their unique blend of hard rock and funk displayed here, and instead succumbed to the commercialization of their peers on later releases. This is definitely a great album for those of you seeking a fun, enjoyable hard rock record.

I typed the last comment then went back a page and saw this. I've known and partied with these guys for a bunch of years. They play acoustic shows at local bars sometimes and I'll go just to get Jimi to play This is Not Hell.

For some reason that song is one of my favorite songs of all time. I can be sitting there having a casual conversation or singing along but when it kicks in I'll go mini-apeshit everytime. That song showed me that the heaviest parts of songs don't have to be crazy speed guitars and double bass drums. It's all in how you set it up... Awesome lyrics also. Good stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxVpoTjLpOY

Dextrimental

07-30-2014, 12:55 PM

My favorite part of these albums is the hand-drawn album art. So awesome.

jhdeity

07-30-2014, 01:46 PM

My favorite part of these albums is the hand-drawn album art. So awesome.

Totally agree. The singer for JCS did some of the coolest artwork I've ever seen. His Lincoln Pennies piece is MIND BLOWING! The handrix is pretty damn cool also...